(MY) NGO for Cameron Highlands

[Guest guest]

The Star Online

 

Sunday, September 15, 2002

 

Having the Reach for local action

 

 

 

Since it was set up a year ago, the Society of

 

Regional Environmental Awareness of

 

Cameron Highlands (Reach) has, more often

 

than not, met with obstacles its quest to get a

 

better deal for locals. But the members are

 

pressing on, reports SUSAN TAM

 

 

 

IN the words of popular environmentalist David

 

Bellamy, " a green renaissance " has taken place in

 

most parts of the world.

 

 

 

He once remarked that groups of people, from the

 

poorest regions to the richest communities in the

 

world, are beginning to realise that so much has

 

disappeared from the planet and they are now

 

willing to commit to proactive efforts to improve

 

the environment.

 

 

 

" They ask questions like why can't we swim in the

 

local rivers or why can't we collect oysters from

 

the sea. Ordinary people like farmers, fishermen

 

and students are doing something good for the

 

environment. Whether they are involved in NGOs

 

or as part of educating their community, every bit

 

of their efforts will help, " Bellamy is reported to

 

have said.

 

 

 

And while many of us are busy with our own lives,

 

we tend take for granted the basic necessities of

 

clean water, clean air and a clean environment.

 

 

 

But that's not the case for folks living in Cameron

 

Highlands, though. Twelve months ago, some

 

concerned residents set up the Society of Regional

 

Environmental Awareness of Cameron Highlands

 

(Reach) to protect their basic rights for clean water

 

and healthy surroundings.

 

 

 

Since then, says its president Ramakrishnan

 

Ramasamy, they have been busy organising

 

activities involving the residents and local

 

authorities.

 

 

 

" When we met the Science, Technology and

 

Environment minister earlier this year, he was

 

totally supportive of our role in the highlands, which

 

is to act as a watchdog to monitor illegal

 

hill-clearing activities and promote environmental

 

awareness, " he says.

 

 

 

With that encouragement, the society began their

 

conservation work to educate the community and

 

raise awareness about environmental problems.

 

 

 

At the society's modest office in Brinchang, where

 

Ramakrishnan and his team run their daily

 

operations, there is a large sheet of white paper

 

with inspirational words printed on it: " The only

 

real force with long-lasting effects are groups of

 

people in their own communities, who have

 

involved themselves in problems that effect their

 

communities, and have pursued hard and diligently,

 

and who then begin to see the power of persistent,

 

well-informed local action. People only really

 

become involved in problems that affect them close

 

to home (By conservationist Joseph Sax, as quoted

 

in the Conservation Foundation Letter). "

 

 

 

Ramakrishnan, who is better known as Rama, says

 

the words inspire the group, which comprises

 

ordinary folk who are interested in " looking after

 

their backyard " in order to preserve a clean and

 

healthy life.

 

 

 

It is important to raise the many issues that concern

 

the residents in the highlands, ranging from

 

problems of water shortage to illegal hill-cutting

 

activities, Rama maintains.

 

 

 

" We took part in the World Water Day exhibition

 

in March held in Kuantan and highlighted the

 

problems faced by residents. The response was

 

surprising as many people do not know the real

 

situation here, " he says.

 

 

 

Reach has also conducted workshops, clean-up

 

campaigns and biodiversity studies. Held gotong

 

royong-style, the clean-up sessions were done in

 

areas such as Parit Waterfalls, Robinson Waterfalls

 

and Gunung Irau.

 

 

 

" The workshops were part of the education and

 

awareness component of our agenda. We needed

 

to inform people living in the highlands and also

 

outsiders of the importance of managing waste,

 

preserving forest and the simple fact of looking

 

after the environment, " Rama explains. " The

 

workshops covered topics like recycling, the

 

importance of conserving flora and fauna and water

 

catchment areas. "

 

 

 

The society has also embarked on a reforestation

 

project with the help of the Forestry Department.

 

In June, an outing was organised to collect about

 

116 seedlings for the project. At hand to assist

 

them was Forestry Department officer Baharuddin

 

Yaakob, who also helped them to identify sites of

 

forest reserves during a survey conducted last

 

month.

 

 

 

The department will assist the society when they

 

can in replanting trees and other projects, says

 

Baharuddin.

 

 

 

Another project was a study of the orchids and

 

ferns in the highlands, which was undertaken with

 

the help of experts from local universities. This was

 

done to create awareness and appreciation of the

 

diverse flora in the highland jungles.

 

 

 

Since March, Reach Committee member Emby

 

Abdullah has been actively going for nature walks

 

to identify, photograph and compile wild orchid

 

species and is now compiling a database of about

 

300 species of orchids.

 

 

 

Emby, who has been working at the Malaysian

 

Agricultural Research and Development Institute

 

for more than 30 years, says they had also worked

 

with some foreign experts who helped them to

 

identify the orchid species. There is a vast resource

 

pool here, he says, and the orchids are being

 

sought by collectors and breeders.

 

 

 

" These flowers have the potential to be

 

commercialised as raw materials for breeding and

 

agricultural purposes. More importantly, they are

 

part of the ecosystem and they need to be

 

preserved to keep the ecosystem in balance. If we

 

continue to cut down our trees and destroy our

 

jungles, we lose them all and our biodiversity. "

 

 

 

N. Madi, another Reach member, has also

 

embarked on a study to document the types of

 

ferns located in the highlands. " With the help of a

 

botanical expert, Tony Roberts, and photographer

 

Ade Anna Elin Wang, we have successfully

 

identified and compiled a database for 115

 

species, " he says. " There should be about 340

 

species in the jungle. "

 

 

 

This self-educated expert says it took some time to

 

put the information together but he persisted in the

 

task because of his personal interest in plants.

 

 

 

The enthusiasm shown by members of Reach has

 

been impressive and helps to enhance

 

environmental awareness and keep illegal activities

 

in check, according to Science, Technology and

 

Environment minister Datuk Seri Law Hieng Ding.

 

 

 

" The society acts as a bridge between residents

 

and the council and other relevant authorities. The

 

council can therefore be informed on the issues that

 

concern the highland residents, " he says.

 

 

 

Cameron Highlands District Officer Haron Abdul

 

Kader says the society can assist the council to

 

monitor illegal activities by acting as a watchdog for

 

it and other authorities.

 

 

 

" This will help us to formulate action plans to

 

address the issues, " Haron says.

 

 

 

Last month, as a result of pressure from Reach, the

 

council was instructed by Pahang Mentri Besar

 

Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob to conduct a detailed

 

study of a condominium project in Tanah Rata.

 

 

 

Rama says he often contacts Harun to update him

 

on the latest developments in the area. " We also

 

work with the Forestry Department, Department of

 

Environment, Waterworks Department and

 

NGOs. "

 

 

 

But like any other issue that needs to be

 

addressed, there are problems such as red tape

 

and bureaucracy, he points out.

 

 

 

As an example, he says, the society hopes

 

authorities would be more transparent in

 

implementing guidelines for highland development

 

and conduct public reviews before granting such

 

approvals.

 

 

 

" Reach is constantly urging the authorities to

 

conduct proper studies before allowing more

 

development to take place. Some projects do not

 

even benefit local residents, " he says.

 

 

 

The residents, he adds, tend to face negative

 

environmental consequences like climate change

 

and water shortage.

 

 

 

Despite what it has accomplished so far, has Reach

 

really made a difference?

 

 

 

" The society has been both a watchdog and also a

 

pressure group, " says World Wide Fund for

 

Nature Malaysia (WWFM) senior scientific officer

 

Sanath Kumaran, who assists Reach members by

 

providing policy inputs and translating technical,

 

legal and scientific matters for them.

 

 

 

" This dual role can bring about greater awareness

 

among both the local residents and the Malaysian

 

public in general about the importance of proper

 

planning and conservation in the highlands, " he

 

says, adding that government is now more

 

concerned and welcomes local community

 

participation.

 

 

 

" Right now, they may be fighting battles and what

 

is needed is to be able to empower them at the

 

local level to think local and act local. Strategic

 

planning should be made for them to achieve their

 

long-term planning. "

 

 

 

More importantly, can Reach be a role model for

 

other communities?

 

 

 

Sanath gives a resounding " yes, " saying that the

 

group should also communicate with other

 

communities, youth and other social groups to learn

 

and understand how each operates.

 

 

 

Rama says the society is still in the midst of

 

working out how to use funding, estimated to be

 

about US$43,000 (RM163,400), which the

 

society is expected to receive from the United

 

Nations Development Programme. It received

 

US$3,000 under the UNDP's Small Grant

 

Programme for community projects when it was

 

set up last year.

 

 

 

But, he says, Reach is more concerned with

 

continuing its dialogues with the people who make

 

decisions on development in the highlands.

 

 

 

" Talk to us, " he says. " Communicate with us when

 

planning development for the highlands. Together

 

we can achieve better things for both community

 

and environment. "